FOREIGN Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said he is requesting additional funding in Budget 2023 to cover the cost of providing consular assistance to Malaysians stranded overseas.

In parliament today, he said it was specifically to help approximately 2,500 Malaysians who were in detention or stranded overseas.

He said currently the ministry does not have the funds to provide this cover.

“We really hope for more funding in the future,” he said during Minister’s Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat today, following a question from Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam-PH) who wanted to know whether the government could cover the costs of bringing Malaysians home.

Saifuddin said the government would seek help from transport companies such as AirAsia, which had helped to fly home 47 Malaysians from Cambodia.

Saifuddin also gave assurance that the government would do its level best to rescue Malaysian citizens if they were reported missing overseas, even if it involved one person.

“We will help and will never leave it alone,” he said. – Bernama, October 4, 2022.